Risk Taking with Music

It was raining the other day. Pouring. I was pretty fired up because I knew it would drive people indoors, hence a big Spinning class that night. But I was also feeling less than energized. I had the rainy day blues. The thought of leading a class with an upbeat, pop playlist was just making me even more tired. So I did something I?d never done before ? I decided I?d make a ?rainy day mix? of slow, mellow, rainy day tunes. I was nervous about it because I know a lot of students rely on the music for energy, and I was taking a risk with some potentially depressing songs. So to counteract the mellow tunes, I put together a VERY tough ride. Lots of hills!
Turns out, everyone loved it! The music was mellow, it became background; it got people to focus more on the ride, their technique and pushing themselves internally, they weren?t relying on the music to inspire them. Of all the classes I?ve done, I actually got the most compliments on the music choices for this one.
I?ve always been a big believer that you don?t have to ?match? your music to your ride, but taking it to the extreme like I did that day showed me that my students feel that way too. I still have rides where a high energy song equals a high energy cadence, but now I know it's ok to mix it up - and the class will appreciate it too. Now I?m a lot more comfortable playing a wide range of music genres and rhythms, and when I show up to teach, I know I can mix and match any ride profile with any playlist. Life just got a whole lot easier.